Dutch DJ Tiësto, a godfather of the
electronic dance music world, has
toured the globe for more than a
decade. But it's Vegas that
inspired his latest album, A Town
Called Paradise. And the video for
the radio-friendly hit single "Red
Lights"—a song about running away
from everything and reveling in the
moment—was filmed here. "The
video is very much a tribute to the
city," Tiësto says. "I travel all over,
but due to my residency I seem to
spend more time in Las Vegas than
anywhere else." And his time here
has been one long highlight reel.
"EDC Vegas is unlike anything else
in terms of scale. But my residency
at Hakkasan and Wet Republic has
had so many amazing moments,"
says the global phenom. "It's hard
to compare Vegas to anywhere
else. Vegas is a true entertain-
ment capital. From a dance-music
perspective, people try to make
comparisons with Ibiza, though
it's only similar in that both places
are destinations with so many
clubs and DJs in close proximity."
Yet Ibiza is seasonal. Vegas is
paradise year-round, a fact Tiësto
knows as well as anyone.
hakkasanlv.com, wetrepublic.com
SPIN STARS
EACH YEAR, VEGAS HONORS SIX MEN—OUR VEGAS ACES —WHO ARE MAKING INCREDIBLE STRIDES IN THEIR
FIELDS. WHO BETTER TO CELEBRATE THAN THE DJS WHO ARE REDEFINING NIGHTLIFE IN VEGAS—AND THE WORLD?
By Andy Wang
ON THE FIR ST MONDAY OF 2011, XS manag ing partner Jesse Waits invited DJs Tiësto, Steve Aoki, and
Ma nufactured Superst a rs' Brad Roulier, as well as Pasqua le Rotella, for dinner at Wy nn. They couldn't have
known t hat Rotella's Elect ric Daisy Carnival, a summer away, would become one of the world's biggest music
festivals, or that Beatport, the dance-music website that Roulier cofounded, would soon be acquired for $50 mil-
lion. Or that DJs like Tiësto and Aoki would make millions headlining colossal Vegas clubs. "We all had a feeling
that Vegas was on the verge of something special," Tiësto says, "and that's why so many of us made such a com-
mitment to the cit y." DJs have become the cit y's new leading men, making a nearly immeasurable cultural and
economic impact. Here are six who have turned Las Vegas into the party capital of the world.
THE HIGH ROLLER
TIËSTO
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
GUY
AROCH,
BRIAN
ZIFF
(OPPOSITE)
